Wildebeest

Seeing spears, drums and masks on the walls of the Wildebeest Arms, you might think you had entered an African theme pub. But the concept is far more eclectic than that.

"People wouldn't have taken to a full-blown theme pub in this part of the country," explains Henry Watt, who owns the pub in partnership with Andrew Wilkins.

"In Norfolk, people tend to be quite reserved and wary of theme pubs. They're fine in the city centre, but here people expect something a bit more individual."

Individuality is the key to the partners' approach at the Wildebeest Arms, and it has paid off to an extent that many other owners of rural pubs would envy. Opened in 1994, the pub has a turnover of £400,000, with 70% of its take from food.

The pub is in the Norfolk village of Stoke Holy Cross, a three-mile meander from Norwich along narrow country lanes. Its menu features dishes such as griddled halibut with gazpacho salsa (£11.75), rump of lamb with onion and Madeira marmalade (£12.50) and roasted salmon with lightly curried mussels and a coriander risotto (£9.95).

Watt and Wilkins both come from Norfolk and believe they have a clear understanding of what the local market wants.

They bought the Wildebeest Arms - their second pub - because it was within easy reach of the Norwich bypass and the southern area of the city, with its prosperous, professional residential areas.

The freehold cost them "not a lot more than" £100,000 in the property slump of 1994. At the time, run as a local pub, it had a much slower level of business. They restored the building on a budget of only £80,000 - which included new plumbing and electrics, a new kitchen, furniture and decor.

"We didn't want to use lots of brass and prints like so many other country pubs," explains Watt. "We wanted to go back to an older, British colonial style, so the African artefacts - which we bought from shops in Cambridge and Norwich - were ideal."

As Watt and Wilkins personally organised the work on the building, costs were tightly controlled. For example, Watt says, some of the quotes they received for demolishing a wall to create the single large bar and dining room were between £10,000 and £16,000. Eventually a local builder did the job for £4,000.

Similarly, the magnificent oak tables were a personal "find". Wilkins spotted an oak tree - which had fallen 10 years ago in the Great Storm - in a wood yard, where it had been sliced into two-inch slabs.

Although the pub has the same name as an African animal, the idea for the name came from much closer to home, admits Watt: "Andrew is known as Wild Man and my kids call him Beastie - and that's how we got Wildebeest!"

The modern menu, developed by chef Eden Derrick, is central to the success of the pub. At the Wildebeest Arms everything is freshly made and would do justice to any London restaurant.

However, the prices have a distinctly Norfolk flavour. Starters range from £3.50 for soup of the day to £5.50 for confit of duck with celeriac and aubergine, while mains are priced between £8.95 for gêteau of charred aubergine, polenta and parsley crust and £12.50 for the roast lamb. Puddings such as chocolate tart with banana and orange and hazelnut parfait are all priced at £3.95. Average spend for three courses, excluding wine, is around £18.

Service in the 60-cover bar and dining area is stylish but informal. There are eye-catching plates in different colours, elegant wine glasses and classy cutlery, but there are no tablecloths and the napkins are paper.

"There are more formal establishments in the area that you might think business customers would prefer," says Watt. "But we seem to fit in with the modern style of business. People aren't looking for a starched style, but they do want attentive service."

Weekday lunch numbers vary from six to 30, while weekday dinners average 35-40. At weekends, evening numbers rise to around 60 and the traditional Sunday lunch draws about 50 customers. Very few customers come in just for a drink.

As well as business custom, Watt and Wilkins are keen to encourage families, which currently make up 10-15% of trade.

"We don't have a load of slides in the garden. However handy it might be for Mum and Dad, we think that is just getting rid of the kids," says Watt.

Family life is important to both of them. Since Watt, 35, married he has not worked in the evenings, and runs the business behind the scenes, while Wilkins, 30, tends to be the "front man".

Yet they are keenly aware that Wilkins will have a family one day. Consequently, they have had a manager, Charles Andrew, at the Wildebeest Arms for the past eight months.

"You work very hard to provide for your family and get a certain standard of living, but if you never see them, what's the point?" says Watt.

Since opening the Wildebeest Arms, they have opened another two pubs in Norwich, bringing their total to four - all with very different styles. At the four establishments they employ nearly 80 full- and part-timers.

They now feel they have reached a crossroads. Wilkins is developing his behind-the-scenes role by exploring how computer technology can be used in the business. Watt misses the contact with the public. Both want the fun of working together under one roof, as they did when they opened their first pub.

Their options include expansion, using the four concepts they have already developed; and opening a single large site, possibly including hotel accommodation.

Both men believe the Wildebeest Arms concept, individual though it is, could be repeated in other rural areas where old-fashioned "locals" often struggle to keep going.

"The menu could easily be replicated, perhaps simplifying it a bit," says Watt.